A conventional gas turbine engine combustor includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced carburetors disposed in a dome at an upstream end of the combustor. The carburetors receive compressed air from a compressor disposed upstream therefrom and fuel for forming a fuel/air mixture which is ignited for forming combustion gases in the combustor which are then channeled to a conventional turbine disposed downstream therefrom. Maintaining stable combustion and achieving good performance of the combustor requires controlled introduction of the compressed air and good mixing in the combustor for obtaining preferred temperature profiles of the combustion gases discharged from the combustor. One of the most important influencing factors on the temperature distribution of the combustion gases discharged from the combustor is the uniformity and stability of the fuel and air in the combustor dome region, which is conventionally referred to as the primary zone.
Furthermore, a portion of the compressed air must also be effectively used for cooling the components of the combustor including the combustor dome and the combustion liners joined thereto. The compressed air used for cooling is typically channeled through machined cooling nuggets having circumferential slots for spreading the cooling air over the liners for obtaining acceptable film cooling thereof. The cooling nuggets are machined structures to ensure that small tolerances are maintained for providing effective cooling. Relatively small variations in the configurations of the cooling nuggets can significantly affect the cooling ability of the cooling nuggets. However, combustor domes having machined cooling nuggets are relatively complex and expensive to manufacture.